The Last Cookie
by Amavi
Summary: Luke, Guy, Natalia, and Asch! Two years after Luke is born, Asch finds his way home and ends up staying there despite his hatred of that “replica dreck”. This is what happens when those four have a play day together. Squee!
1. OneSided Rivalry

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**Disclaimer:** I do not own Tales of the Abyss or any of its awesome characters =(

However, I do own this story! Here's the Baticul group as little kids! =D

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Imagine a world in which Asch had been able to return home- if Van was a wanted criminal and he and his replica had been forced to live under the same roof. AU- Asch would have had to have a little less pride in order to accept this situation… bear with me. I think that it's for the best, anyway... squee-wise. heheh *insert evil laugh here*

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One-Sided Rivalry

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"Mom said not to!" Asch was getting pissed. That replica was honestly so stupid… it was like he didn't have a brain at all.

"Cookie… Luke want cookie!" He was reaching up toward a giant plate of chocolate chip cookies that the maids had baked that morning- it was sitting on the counter, and you could tell just by looking that they were really fresh. They smelled so good… and they looked like they were still warm, too. But they were for when Natalia came over, later. They were for sharing!

"Get away from there, replica!" Asch grabbed that kid roughly by the shoulder, forcing him to turn around.

The copy looked up at him with curiosity, and tilted his head slightly. That was the nice thing about having a stupid brother- he didn't understand when you tried to tell him something, and he didn't understand when you tried to curse him either. Everything was the same to him, so it didn't even matter.

"You can't have any, you dreck! Those cookies are for Natalia and me!"

"Luke… can't?"

"That's what I said! Get it through your stupid brain! Now go outside, or something!"

"No… brother, Luke want cookie. To share…" He looked on the verge of tears, that stupid kid with his face. A fon Fabre would never cry! He hated seeing the weak little monster cry, it was embarrassing! And it was a disgrace in ways that only he could feel… nobody else knew what it was like to be confused with that little dreck.

Asch slapped the kid, hard. His replica started crying, and he dragged him by the hand into the corridor where some maids saw them, and came running over.

"What happened?" They pretended to worry, he knew. He was the only real Luke around here… even though he had taken the name Asch to avoid confusing the twerp. It had been a couple years before he had been able to return home… it felt weird still, seeing that little creep trying to take his place. Asch knew that now he was back, nobody cared about that stupid copy anymore. He made sure everyone knew that he was the real one here.

"He tripped over there. Make sure he's not hurt." Asch surrendered his replica's hand, but the kid didn't want to let go. He was still holding on, and sobbing like there was no tomorrow. It was disgusting.

Asch ripped his hand away, and stormed off. He went to their bedroom, and climbed up to his bunk on the top. He hated having to share his room, and his friends… he hated the cretin almost as much as he hated that sword teacher, Van, for causing this whole mess in the first place. As much as everyone told him that the replica couldn't help being dumb, he just couldn't find it in himself to care. If they shared the same face, shouldn't they share the same intelligence? That replica had to have been a failed one, because how could it be taking so long for him to learn how to speak properly, even? The more he thought about the kid named Luke, the more he hated his existence.

"Lu-I mean, Asch. You're brooding." He would recognize that voice anywhere… his best friend, Guy.

"How did you know I was in here?" The red-haired teen looked down over the edge of his mattress toward the doorway, making eye contact with the blonde-haired swordsman.

"I saw the whole thing, you know. I was trying to catch your attention through the window."

"Sorry. I didn't see you."

"I know. But you really shouldn't be so hard on the little guy. One day he might not just sit and take it." Guy said it as a piece of advice, but Asch couldn't stand being told what to do. He couldn't stand other people's pity. But he knew Guy hadn't meant it that way, so he tried to just let it go.

"As if that would ever happen. You know how weak he is, crying all the time about everything. If he hated me too at least I could respect him for it."

"You have a strange way of looking at things, Luke." The blonde-haired boy leaned against the door frame, arms crossed casually.

"Don't call me by that name! It's not… it's not mine anymore." Asch was so angry that he felt his eyes growing hotter… there was no way he was going to cry, though. Especially not in front of someone. He slumped down and tried to hide it by nestling his head on his arm.

"Ah… sorry! Sorry, Asch. I know it's been hard for you, but it's not the little guy's fault, you know? That he was created…"

"Nobody chooses to be created, Guy. It's how you live your life and how you take what's given to you. And that little dreck just takes whatever he can get, he doesn't follow rules and he doesn't even think for himself. He just asks for things in that stupid baby voice and expects to get them… I am not like him! He's worse than a dog…"

"You need to cheer up, Asch. It's not as bad as you think… he's only three years old right now. If you think about it that way…"

"You're not the one with a replica. Don't even try to pretend you know what I feel, Guy."

"Sorry. You're right." They looked across at each other, and it seemed clear there was nothing else to say. The young Fabre was in a foul mood, as usual… it was so hard to talk to him, anymore. "I… I'll go back to work. See you."

"Don't be so easy on him, or he'll never learn anything!" Asch yelled as his best friend closed the door behind himself.

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**A/N:** So what do you think? Let me know =3


	2. Natalia Comes to Play

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**Disclaimer:** I don't own Tales of the Abyss in part or in whole or in any way whatsoever--- namco does. And namco is my hero 3

Here's the second chapter yay! I'm posting two and three together since they pretty much go together... lol.

**Re-Cap:** Asch has escaped two years after his kidnapping and makes it back to Baticul on his own. He tells everyone what happened, and Van is basically a wanted criminal now. The only problem is what to do with Luke- since Asch is less likeable but he is the true heir, what will they do with the boy they had been training to fill his place?

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Natalia Comes to Play

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"Dammit…" Asch pressed his gloved hands into his eyes, as if that could stop the water which was leaking from them. As if he had the power to stop anything at all. There were no words for the hatred he felt… Van, and that replica… they had ruined his life. And one day, he swore to it that they would pay with their lives. He smiled.

Thoughts like this made everything seem alright, again. That replica dreck was only a temporary obstacle- he would remove him in the end, and everyone wouldn't have to divide their feelings anymore. Father, Mother, Guy, the maids even… they wouldn't have to feed and clothe that twelve year old toddler. They wouldn't have to remember his own name just by the clothes on his back- they would look at his face and say, "Oh, Master Asch!" without hesitating. He pictured that stupid kid he was forced to share everything with- it wasn't hard, they had the same face after all- and imagined all the different ways he could kill him. The possibilities were endless, and endlessly satisfying, at that. Master Van would come next, once he knew he was strong enough to kill him. It might take a while yet to gain those sword skills, but he knew his teacher was out there, waiting for the day when they would cross blades again as enemies…

"Master Asch, Princess Natalia has arrived. She is waiting for you in the drawing room with Master Luke." A maid looked around from the doorway, and then up as she saw the young master perched on his bunk.

"Fine. I'll be there in a minute." He looked away, trying to be casual. Secretly, even the sound of his old name made his blood boil. He wouldn't mind sharing his house with a sibling, but a bad copy…? It was more than anyone should be forced to endure. He scooted to the edge of his bed, dangling his feet over the side before jumping down easily and landing in a crouch. Wiping the water from his face one last time, he headed out the window, and through the courtyard to the drawing room.

…

"Oh, there you are Asch! Luke and I were wondering what happened to you, right Luke?" She smiled brightly at the kid next to her, white teeth sparkling and eyes crinkled warmly, and the replica smiled happily back without a care in the world. It was sickening. Well, his replica was… but Natalia, on the other hand… he only wished that she wouldn't waste her smiles on that trash. It made him so angry, having to share any part of his day with that red-haired failure! But for her to have to endure it too… she didn't seem to mind, but even so, he still felt ashamed and angry. He allowed it only because it was his mother's wish, and since he knew that Natalia was going to be his wife someday; he was consoled by knowing that in the end he was going to have her all to himself. She could be kind to Luke because she was kind to everyone, but Asch was the only one she would love, because he had returned to Baticul and endured all of this just for her. It basically went without saying, and besides, who could ever love a dreck like that cursed twin of his, anyway? It was pointless to even worry about it.

"Sorry I'm late, Natalia. Anyway, what would you like to do today?" He tried to be polite, despite the mood he was in. It wasn't easy.

"Hmm… let's see. We could go for a walk around the city-"

"You know he's not allowed out of the house, Natalia. He can barely walk by himself, let alone find his way back. Imagine if he got lost…" he didn't like to think about all the maids fussing over that empty-headed fool. As much fun as it would be to ditch him somewhere, he knew it would come back to bite him later.

"Oh, you're right. How careless of me. Sorry, Luke." She turned to Luke, worried about offending him. Tch. As if he could even understand what she said, anyway.

"Issokay, Natalia." The dreck smiled happily, cluelessly. Disgusting.

"Anything else you would like to do?" Asch hadn't exactly planned the afternoon, so he was hoping she had something in mind. Grumpily he ruffled a hand through his hair, scratching the back of his head.

"Why don't we ask Guy to come play a game of Monopoly with us?"

"Ugh, again?"

"Oh, that's right. You hate that game, don't you…" she looked so sad all of a sudden that for one critical moment Asch forgot how much he resented board games. Her eyes didn't belong troubled, it wasn't his place to disappoint her- Asch didn't want to be any less than the perfect future husband.

"No, not really. It's fine, let's play." He reached confidently for her hand, and looked into her eyes with genuine apology. He found that she looked distant, and it worried him.

"Are you okay, Natalia? Is something wrong?"

"No, no of course not. Let's go, shall we?" she smiled again, and he felt at ease. Still holding her hand, he led her to the courtyard, where they found Guy helping Pere with the gardening.


	3. Sore Loser

/*

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or exposition from Tales of the Abyss. All I can claim are the cookies. xD

In case you were wondering, the reason Luke can't talk properly is because he is still only two years old. They're all so little and so precious! I would want to meet little Guy, or Luke... maybe even little Asch (though he'd be a little devil, really). For some reason I've never much cared for Natalia, but that's just me. xD

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Sore Loser

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"Oh, hello Luke! Asch, Natalia." Guy bowed his head lightly, and came up smiling.

"Hello Guy, we were wondering… might you play a bit with us?" Natalia batted her eyelashes, and Asch became tense. He knew that it took a lot of coaxing to get Guy to drop his duties, but why did they need him anyway? Why did Natalia always have to flirt with everyone except her fiancé?

"Princess Natalia, you know it's not a servant's place to-"

"Guy, she's the princess and she's_ requesting_ you. Don't be so stuck on protocol." Asch crossed his arms grumpily. He didn't have a lot of patience, especially not with the way things had been going today.

"But Asch, you know that if anyone found us…"

"Then what? It's not like any of us would let them fire you. You have the princess of Kimlasca-Lanvaldear requesting your presence, and the son of Duke Fabre."

"The two sons actually, right?" Guy winked at Luke, and the replica giggled happily. It made Asch want to regurgitate his breakfast.

"But… I still have a lot of work to do…" That was always Guy's final argument, before he gave in. Natalia and Asch looked at each other and nodded, before diving at him and grabbing his arms, dragging him off to play. Though Guy was screaming, none of the maids came running anymore… they knew it was miss Natalia and that there was nothing to worry about. The blonde-haired swordsman would have to get over his fear of women someday…

…

"Cool, that's my property Princess. Pay up!" Guy smiled brightly, holding out his hand for the paper bills.

"You're just too good at this game, you know that?" She reluctantly counted up her last five hundred paper gald and mortgaged all of her properties. "It seems I don't have enough…"

"I'll pay for you, since that _jerk_ of a landlord doesn't know his manners." Asch handed Guy a few more hundred paper gald.

"It's just a game, Asch! I lost, fair and square…" Natalia was trying to convince him, but the deal was done. Guy didn't want another fight with Asch, so he didn't bother telling him that this was probably against the rules. He didn't even bother to check the instructions on the lid.

"Whose turn is it now? I think it's yours, Asch." Natalia handed him the dice.

"Wa-wait! Luke turn now!" The innocent face showed no malice at being skipped, but it wasn't like he really knew what was going on, anyway.

"Oh, right. Sorry Luke!" She took the dice from Asch and handed him the dice instead. Luke cupped his hands, and then closed them tightly, shaking them high above his head. Nobody had the heart to tell him that no matter where he shook them the numbers would still be random… but strangely, he got double sixes.

"Whoo! Luke is… wait, where this?" he moved his piece to the corner labeled "Go to Jail."

Asch burst out laughing, but it wasn't exactly mirthful. More like taunting. He took a few seconds to calm down, when he realized nobody else found it funny. Then he sighed, the humor gone from it entirely and his deadpan expression returning. "It means you're in jail, idiot."

"Where is jail? Guy, what is jail?" Luke tilted his head slightly, like he always did when he didn't understand something. It drove Asch nuts. As if he could see the world better with his vision crooked. Hah.

"Oh, it's this square here. It means that you're stuck here until you roll doubles. Sorry, buddy."

"Ohhh… Luke can't move now?"

"Nope. You're trapped there, that's why it's called jail." Guy explained with his lighthearted voice, reserved only for that childlike mind. Asch cringed, glad that his friend never tried to talk to _him_ like that.

"But if Luke gets double…!"

"Yes, Luke, if you roll two of the same number, you are set free!" Natalia flashed a beautiful golden smile at the kid as she waved her arms in a rainbow over her head, and he tried to copy her face. His smile always just looked stupid, to Asch. He didn't know how to tell her, but whenever she did that it made him insanely jealous… he didn't understand how his friends could put up with that dreck in the first place.

"My turn." Asch snatched the dice off the table and threw them back down again violently, knocking some of Guy's hotels off the boardwalk.

"Hey, knocking them down isn't going to save you any money you know." Guy scolded Asch jokingly, but he didn't find it very amusing. After bailing Natalia out of debt, he was pretty low on cash.

"Oh shit. That can't be right." Asch counted the squares again, looking at the cursed number he had rolled.

"Hahaha, I'm sorry Master Asch, but you get what you deserve. Pay up!"

"Since when did I deserve this?" He started rounding up the last of his paper gald, and it seemed he would be the first out of the game now. That was why he hated Monopoly… he could never win. Ever.

"Oh, Asch! You shouldn't have helped me out there, you would have still been in the game!" Natalia put her hand on top of his, and looked into his eyes with the deepest regret. He was taken aback- "W-what are you talking about? I would have lost anyway!" He turned away, blushing, and Natalia backed off. He hadn't meant to scare her… it was just so shocking to see her so close, all of a sudden…

"Oookay, my turn!" Guy tried to salvage the rotten atmosphere. He didn't know how he always ended up getting dragged into these things, seeing as Asch was always such a sore loser. Maybe it was Natalia's idea to keep him from getting mad at her, to bring someone else for him to take out his anger on? Guy decided he wouldn't put it past her- he knew what nobles were like, anyway.

"Oh, look! I've landed on Luke's property. How much do I owe you?"

"Uhh…" Luke handed him all of the property deeds in his hand, since he still had trouble reading them. Asch doubted that brainless fool would ever learn, when he could just have other people read things for him. But he held his tongue, for Natalia's sake. He didn't really care either way, since he was going to kill the kid soon enough anyway.

"Hooo… that's a steep price, Luke! Here you go." Guy handed over a wad of gald bills, and Asch had to snatch everything in order to make sure he wasn't cheating.

"Wow, it really does cost that much, huh?" He was bewildered.

"Guess so. Anyway, it's Natalia's turn now…"

The turns proceeded, and after a few more rounds Natalia had landed on Guy's property again and fallen bankrupt. Asch would never ask his replica to bail her out… that was just low. And it was against the Fabre way to ask for favors. Besides, he didn't want her to be thanking that stupid fake anyway. The game continued without her, and she and Asch watched as Guy kept going around the board, every so often landing on one of Luke's squares. Luke was, of course, still in jail and not landing on anything.

"Luke want to move again! Why am Luke stuck here?"

"You should say, 'why am I stuck here', Luke. Why don't you ever use 'I'? "

"Why am I stuck here Luke?" Luke cocked his head slightly, and Natalia laughed her beautiful tinkling laugh.

"Oh well, it was worth a shot anyway." Guy shrugged, handing over more paper money. He was running dangerously low at this point; since his only adversary was locked up, nobody had been landing on Boardwalk anymore.

"Luke want to play… why is Luke stuck?"

"Because you're still in jail, buddy… though I'll let you go free if you pay me a handsome-"

"Guy, how could you? That's not in the rules…" Natalia frowned.

"Guy, don't spoil him like that!" Asch stood abruptly, his heavy wooden chair scraping the floor loudly.

Everyone looked at him until he sat down again, with a hand massaging his eyebrows. This game was just too stressful…

"Asch, calm down. It's okay. I was only kidding, anyway." Guy smiled sheepishly, rolling the dice one more time.

"Oh man… I landed on your property again, Luke. Here's… oh wait, actually… Luke, I think you've cleaned me out."

"Eh?"

"You won, Luke!" Natalia smiled at the replica again, standing quickly to give him a big hug. Asch's eyes bulged in fury.

"That's such a cheap way to win, there's got to be some rule against that! You can't win while you're in jail!" His eyes flashed dangerously, and Luke looked ready to cry.

"Aw, come on Asch. You saw it yourself, he won fair and square. I know the rules better than anybody, that's perfectly legal…" Guy shrugged, both arms bent, hands in the air.

"You're just jealous that he won." Natalia's accusing voice rang out- Asch felt his heart stop for a second there, before he was more angry than he knew how to handle. Natalia still didn't seem to realize that Asch didn't take teasing too well. Guy did a facepalm, and Luke looked confused, still on the verge of tears.

"Shut up! You're wrong! It's just that he's not supposed to win, that's all!" Asch was screaming now, beside himself with hatred for that creature in Natalia's arms, who was red-eyed again and quivering in his chair across the table.

"And why not?" Natalia was daring him to fight, but why did she always take Luke's side? She was running her fingers through the replica's hair, like some overprotective mother. It was stupid, this whole thing was stupid.

"He can't even read! He can't count his own money! The only thing he knows how to do is roll the dice!" Asch was fed up with that dreck, he needed to get out of this suffocating room. It was too small and his voice was echoing unpleasantly. He stood quickly and stormed off to the courtyard, knowing that they would clean up the game and come looking for him… he just needed a minute to calm down again. He couldn't lose his cool in front of Natalia all the time like this, Guy had warned him and he knew it, but sometimes it was just so hard…

"The sooner I get rid of him, the better." Asch muttered angrily under his breath, as he walked towards the trees. "Stupid replica… why did he have to be born?"


	4. A Dim Future

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Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of the Abyss or its characters... Namco does 3

And I apologize to those who don't like mean Asch... but I can only console you by promising that if you stick with me you'll like the ending =)

Probably.

Hopefully.

...yeah, you'll like it ;D

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A Dim Future

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"There you are, Asch. We've been looking all over for you!" He turned as they approached him, and wasn't surprised; Natalia had her hands on her hips, with Guy and Luke tagging along behind her. Guy was holding the dreck's hand, while the monster itself was staring dejectedly at the ground. It was pitiful, and made him feel even angrier if that was possible. Just when he had started calming down, too…

"Asch, let's go inside for some tea and cookies, okay? The maids prepared them specially for Natalia's visit today." Guy inched warily around the princess to speak more directly to his red-haired master.

"Oh, that's right. Sure, let's go." He walked briskly, and his friends followed him back through the inner manor. He obviously had not recovered yet from his loss at Monopoly, though nobody was going to waste their breath trying to cheer him up. It would only end badly, after all, since Asch had a nasty habit of taking consolations like insults.

As they walked, Luke tried to wipe his tears- they just kept coming this time. He knew that his brother hated him, but it just didn't make sense why… he tried to ask Guy, but he didn't understand. And talking to Natalia made his brother mad, so he knew better than to do that. He wanted to make Asch feel better, even though he knew it was his fault that his brother was always angry. Was there anything he could do…? He turned his emerald eyes on the person holding his hand, and looked up at him in adoration. Why couldn't brother be more like Guy? Even though he didn't always understand everything, at least he was always trying to help. He was always smiling and friendly… suddenly more tears came, and Luke felt heavy in his chest. It felt harder to breathe in, and it was scary.

"G-guy…" he whispered. Nobody heard him. Did he dare speak louder?

Luke stopped walking, and let go of Guy's hand in order to wipe his face. It was all wet, and he knew brother would only be angrier to see him like this. The more he tried to stop, the harder it was.

"Luke, are you okay?" Guy's warm face loomed in front of him, and the boy reached out suddenly to hug his yellow-haired friend. Little hands wrapped tightly in the short tufts of Guy's hair, and the tears kept coming. He felt his body shaking, and he was terrified that Asch would turn around… he was so scared that this time Asch wouldn't forgive him. It was hard to share people like this… but Luke wanted Guy all for himself right now. He needed him right now. Even if brother wouldn't forgive this, he needed to cry right now. The yellow-haired friend was on one knee, stroking Luke's head gently and trying to ask what had happened. It only made him cry harder, to know that someone actually cared…

"Luke, hey… c'mon, what's wrong? You're a big guy, you can tell me. You're twelve years old, you know?"

Wiping his eyes roughly, Luke looked around the side of Guy's head for his brother. Asch and Natalia must have already gone to the next room, they hadn't even noticed there were people left behind. Luke felt relieved, and sobbed a little louder.

"If you don't tell me what it is, I can't fix it, you know?" There were no maids in the room at all, and Guy felt somewhat irritated that he was the one stuck with all the problems Asch left in his wake. That kid never thought twice about the problems he was causing for others, not much unlike the other fon Fabres before him. Luke was different, though. Growing up a replica would make anyone different.

"Luke is… empty. It hurts, because brother hates... Luke is… dreck." Luke crammed in words between sobs, and Guy could barely make them out- though he breathed in sharply as the young master cursed himself. It was a bit shocking to hear such an innocent kid say that word- he knew exactly where it had come from, too. There was only one person in the manor who used that word, anyway.

"You're not, Luke. Not at all. I think you're very grown up, for tolerating your brother like this." Guy smiled apologetically and hoped it would be enough. He was no good at being an optimist.

"What is tolerating?" Luke was still shaking, but other than that he was slowly growing quieter. The outburst was subsiding almost as suddenly as it had come on, though Guy continued kneeling and drew the boy into a hug.

"Well, tolerating is… tolerating someone is when they try to make you mad, but you are nice back to them. Tolerating is giving kindness in return for another emotion someone slings at you… it's like when Asch yells at you, and you choose not to yell back. That's the heart of it, really."

"Luke is… tolerating?"

"Yes, yes you are. It's hard I know, but you're brilliant at it. Asch could learn quite a few things from you, that's for sure… if we could ever get him to sit down long enough." Guy muttered the last part under his breath, and he had to turn away for a moment.

"Guy… Luke loves for tolerating… Luke too!" The red-haired boy snuggled against Guy's shoulder hoping that would make sense, and squeezed his arm tightly to show how much he meant it. In the end though, there was no way to tell if he really understood.

Strange as it was, the blonde swordsman found himself feeling sorry for the kid. Everything so far had been according to plan, predicted even… but it was at times like these he was almost ashamed of his role in it. He had his own share of a tragic past and would never forget it, but even so, Luke really had it rough in a lot of ways: being born with the body of a ten year old, trying to find a place in a closed household full of people with closed hearts… and then to think this innocent little guy, the same one babbling away and carrying on right here, was going to be sacrificed, in the end… to think that was all he was born for, to grow up for a few more years and then die at the willing hands of his country… it was a lot harder to keep faith in that plan. Guy knew that he had made a promise when he was placed here in the service of Duke Fabre, and he would do his best to uphold it, but he wondered if when the time came… would he regret sending Luke to his death?

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	5. Hide and Seek

/*

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Tales of the Abyss, or any of the characters. I just play with them in my sandbox. And I feed them cookies.

**A/N:** Thanks so much to all my reviewers out there! I really appreciate it, I love hearing what you guys think =)

And there's just something I love about kid-Asch and the gang... I'll get back to writing Symphonia eventually, but right now all I can think about are the kiddies! (sorry to everyone who has to wait for my other fics... sorry!! I haven't forgotten any of them!)

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Hide and Seek

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"Natalia wants to play hide and seek, Guy. Come on."

"No, I've fooled around quite enough for one day." He crossed his arms with clipping shears in one hand- he had just parted ways with Luke and wasn't exactly in the mood to be taking crap from Asch again.

"I said I want you to come. Don't disobey me!" Asch tried to stand up taller, but Guy was still towering above him- they were four years apart, so it was kind of hopeless anyway.

"Guy won't play?" Asch's voice came from behind him, and he whipped around to see… it was Luke though, and he realized that of course Asch would never sound so disappointed about anything. His heart went out to the little guy, and he couldn't help but stare at the curled hands pressed together anxiously in front of his mouth… Natalia had her arm around his shoulders, and it looked as though they had roped him into one more round of games.

"I'm sorry Luke, I have to-"

"Guy, how can you be so cold? Just one more game, he was the one who requested you be included…" Natalia tried to give him a meaningful look, but Guy wasn't paying attention. He was still looking at Luke, their eyes locked and it was so hard to break free…

"No, I really can't. I can't, Luke!" Those eyes were so pleading, he felt trapped.

"Just one game of hide and seek?" Natalia asked sweetly, as Luke gave up at last and looked instead at the ground. Guy looked at Natalia, and then turned to see Asch again. They really were serious about this, it seemed.

"Oh, fine. Just one, though. And it has to be quick." Guy sighed heavily, and put down his shears on the cornerstone under the hedge he had been trimming. He couldn't help thinking that serving Duke Fabre was more trouble than it was worth, sometimes. If he lost the trust of Luke or Asch he would have failed in his mission, and if he got fired he would have failed too. Either way, it was a dismal outlook for him should these shenanigans continue…

"Guy, you be 'it'. We'll all hide in the gardens, and you come find us."

So that was why they needed him… they needed someone to go seeking. It explained a lot, on their part. Guy hated how he always got suckered into playing with these young nobles… they didn't realize the difference between servants and nobility, much less the concept of work and play. Leaving his grumbles aside, he told them to go hide, and turned around to start counting.

Natalia dashed off to the rose garden, and laid down on an ornate wooden bench giggling to herself. Asch ran in the opposite direction, towards his favorite climbing tree. And Luke didn't know what to do, so he followed his brother. When Guy was done counting, the replica and his original were already deep in the woody gardens which ran alongside the Fabre manor.

"Ready or not, here I come!" Guy tried to put on a good show for them, but he couldn't help being irritated still. Who would want to be bossed around by a bunch of kids, anyway? And why did they insist on this childish game? Actually, to his knowledge none of them had ever played this before, so it really was a minor mystery. He spied miss Natalia's shoe sticking out from behind a rosebush, and walked over slowly to give her some time, taking the perimeter of the bushes and appearing from the north so that he would not be accused of looking up the lady's skirt. After finding her so easily, he wondered if Asch would be any more of a challenge; he went up to the lady and bowed graciously in apology at finding her first.

"Oh, it's alright Guy. Let's go look for Luke and Asch together!" She seemed way too excited for a silly game like this, and Guy became suspicious.

"If I may ask, Princess, why did you and the young Masters choose this game of all games?"

"We had never played it before, and Asch said he wanted to apologize to Luke! Isn't that just precious?"

"Couldn't he have apologized anyway?"

"Well, you know him. He has too much pride, so he wanted to be 'it' next and spend some time with Luke. We can go inside the manor or something instead of hiding out here the whole time." Her face was brimming with happiness, and she started skipping ahead of him.

"Oh, I see." Guy was incredulous, it didn't seem possible that Asch would say something like that. Although, he decided that he wouldn't be the one to get in the way either. If anything, he would get the story from Luke later. "Do we look for them now then, and skip out the next round?"

"We have to wait until Asch is 'it', though. You found me first this time, so I'm 'it', and we have to play fair. But I'll make sure to have him tell me his hiding spot so I find him first. Then when he's 'it', we can go."

"How is that fair if you know where he's hiding?"

"…it just is, Guy! It's what Asch wants, so let's do this for him okay?" Natalia leaned in closer, and he screamed while jumping backward.

"Why do you always do that?" She didn't seem too pleased.

"I'm sorry, it's a reflex. You know I can't help it!" Guy tried to apologize, but really it wasn't something he could control. Gynophobia was something he had been dealing with since before he had started at the Fabre manor... and it wasn't like he could choose which girls he would react to, since he reacted equally to all of them. He sighed.

After a good ten minutes Guy and Natalia had completely covered all of the paths through the gardens, and there were no red-haired nobles to be found. That only left the deeper woods part of the garden, surrounded by brick walls on three sides- it was like a miniature forest, and Guy suddenly remembered that this was the first place he should have checked.

"Of course, he would hide in here you know..." The blonde muttered, chiding himself as they walked.

"What did you say?" Natalia was thoroughly bored now without her precious Asch, and Guy hated it when she started picking on him. He needed to get out of here, and quickly… before she really started getting cranky. They walked through the sycamores, oaks, and pines as they tried to figure out where the remaining two players were hiding-

"Uuuh- Uwaahhhhhhh!" Someone screamed directly ahead of them, and in the air; it was followed by a large crack, and Guy saw as Luke fell out of a tree. He _saw _it, like slow motion almost- but it went by impossibly fast. He knew those clothes, that little body… the arms and legs were rigid, and he knew it was because the little guy was too scared to even flail around. That was all he had time to think in that moment, before the boy landed with a sickening crunch, and a rather large tree branch landed directly on top of him.

In a blur of golden yellow he had been running as it happened, but Guy just wasn't fast enough. "Luke!" He screamed, as if that would help anything now. Grabbing the branch with one hand, he tried to lift it off of Luke's bleeding face. Surprisingly, it needed two hands- Natalia came over to help, though she was crying. They lifted the one end of the branch and set it down next to the boy, but out of the way.

"Luke, can you hear me? Luke! Say something!" Guy was yelling louder than he knew, his voice was gruff and frightened. The branch had scratched the boy's cheek and grazed just above his left eye, but as he looked closer he realized that the eyes themselves were okay. It was a small pang of relief, but there was still no movement from the kid, no response at all.

A pair of feet landed just behind him, and he turned to look- it was Asch.

"Were you in the tree too? What happened?!" Guy was frantic, something inside of him had taken over and he couldn't shake the feeling that something like this had happened before, somewhere…

"Of course I was!" Asch looked angry.

"Why the _hell_ was he up there? He can barely walk, Asch!" It was the first time Guy had ever raised his voice, to anyone.

"I-I don't know. Why are you so mad at me? It's not like I made him do it!" Asch crossed his arms haughtily and looked down at his brother lying motionless on the ground.

"He's _part of you_, Luke! You shouldn't have let him go up there in the first place!"

"I told you never to call me that! My name is Asch now! Asch, got it!?! Luke is the one who fell out of the tree, _not me_!" his screams reverberated around the forest, and Guy felt his blood begin to boil. This was the same piece of trash that had murdered his entire family, in cold blood… younger perhaps, but just like his father in every other way… a gloved hand twitched toward the hilt of his sword…

"So is he dead, or what? Stop staring at me like that." Asch looked up at Guy coldly, and with the concentration broken, the blonde-haired swordsman turned away in disgust. His eyebrow twitched, and he had to close his eyes for a split second to balance himself. He could not afford to strike his master, right now…

_SWACK!_ Natalia had gotten to him first. She was crying openly, and sagged onto Asch's shoulder bawling as soon as her hand had left his cheek. The kid had his hands full, and Guy turned away to focus on what was actually important. He kneeled next to Luke, the precious, innocent Luke, and quickly removed his brown glove, tossing it to the side. With bare fingers he touched Luke's cheek softly, and leaned in close to his face to listen for breathing.

"Luke, can you hear me? Luke…"

Guy pressed his ear to the kid's chest, and was relieved to hear his heart beating soundly, at last. Had he just passed out? Was it a coma or a concussion?

"You, go get help or something! Don't just stand there!" He yelled over his shoulder at Asch, who was still trying to console the weak-hearted Princess.

"O-okay… sheesh. What about Natalia? She won't let go of me…"

"Natalia, let him go get help. Just sit her down on the floor or something…"

"But it's dirty!" Asch spat vehemently, but Guy wasn't fazed.

"I don't care. Just get _out_ of here!" Guy was practically growling.

It took a moment, but Asch finally made up his mind. He grunted and made a fuss, but he did as he was told and took off running to tell his parents.

Guy removed his other glove and gently brushed the hair out of Luke's face, trying to wake up the boy without startling him. He gingerly massaged the kid's shoulder next, thumb gently pressing, trying to get a response now that he knew there was still a chance inside that little body…

Luke started coughing dryly, and he then drew in a sharp breath followed by deeper coughing. He opened his eyes and looked up suddenly; his gaze met with Guy's face above him. He was startled and wanted to scream, but he kept coughing, and it felt like he couldn't breathe in any air because he was too busy breathing out- his eyes bulged wildly and he felt himself beginning to cry. He tried to look around, to see if his brother was-

"Luke, Luke it's okay. It's me, Guy. Okay?"

Luke squirmed while he was choking and tried to lift his arms, though only one of them succeeded in finding Guy's chest. He pushed him away, screaming suddenly in pain at his other arm's awkward movement with air he didn't even know he'd had.

"Stop! You're hurting yourself, stop! Shush, shhh… it's just me, Luke. It's me…"

When Asch and the guards found them, Guy was bent over Luke, trying to hold him still as the younger boy flailed wildly, silently, unable to breathe.

"Move away, we have a stretcher." Muffled by metal, the guard's voice hardly reached Guy's ears. He was beyond listening or reason, trying to stifle the panic he had incited in the red-haired child; he hadn't meant to make things worse… tears fell from his eyes silently as the anguish welled up inside of him…

"Let go of him!" Asch yelled, finally catching his attention. Guy turned, frozen in place, and looked with hate at the Duke's son. There was no doubt in his mind that these were two completely separate people now… there was one he wanted to save at all costs, and one he still wanted to kill. Years of friendship meant nothing, it was all in the type of people standing before him… one who would attack his own brother, and one who would never attack anyone… he wiped his eyes as he looked back to Luke's pained face, finally in control of himself again.

"Luke, calm down. We're going to help you. Just breathe…" Guy ignored the guards completely and scooped Luke tenderly away from the grass, allowing the boy's trembling body to rest easily in his arms. He sat up straight, cradling Luke's shoulder against his chest as he tried to breathe steadily, for the both of them.

"He's not breathing, Guy! Just look at him, his face is purple… " Asch walked closer and Guy tried to ignore him, too. Suddenly, Asch kneeled behind his brother and slapped him hard across the back. Guy felt it jar his own shoulders, and he was appalled- that was just…! But suddenly, Luke wheezed, all air completely exhausted from his lungs- and then he breathed in heavily, drawing in air so quickly that he started coughing. This time though, he was okay. Color started returning to his face, and he was crying but at least there was air in his lungs to do so. The guards swooped in at that point and shoved Guy away, working the boy from his gentle grasp and laying him down on a long piece of cloth, supported by a wooden frame.

"Geez. I thought you actually knew what you were doing, Guy…" Asch walked past him with a look of indifference, as though nothing had just happened. The blonde swordsman quickly got to his feet as well and ran a hand through his mussed hair, exhaling loudly. He realized now that he had overreacted, and tried to think quickly- he would have to explain it somehow, later. He walked toward the Princess, but Asch shoved him aside and quickly offered his hand to her. She stood gracefully, and Guy continued on, walking ahead of them to catch up with his youngest friend… Luke fon Fabre.


	6. What I Want

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**Disclaimer:** I don't own Tales of the Abyss.

**A/N:** Here's the last chapter! Enjoy =)

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What I Want

"I swear, he fell out on his own. Don't look at me like that!" Asch clenched his fists angrily, but nobody looked away. They all knew what had probably happened, and it showed in their glares and crossed arms that they felt ashamed of the Luke they had once known, the one named Asch.

"I think you should apologize to him later, darling, even if you're not at fault."

Suzanne smiled weakly at her son, unsure herself of what to expect from him. It had only been a couple months since his return, after all- and the horrible things he had been through would be enough to change anyone's heart. As much as she loved both of her boys, there was no way for her to reach out and connect with a son who pushed everyone away.

Luke stirred on the large mattress, and all eyes quickly turned to him. He was in a luxurious guest bed, off to the side of the manor where the room was bigger than his shared bedroom, in order to accommodate the guards and doctor. It seemed as though he was drowning in the covers, though- for a boy of twelve he was extremely scrawny and neither he nor his brother were taller than five foot. His feet barely reached the middle, and his arms outstretched were not anywhere near long enough to dangle over the ends- the doctor scooted his chair closer, but Luke was still practically out of reach. Red strands of hair covered his peaceful eyes, and his breathing was still even as he curled his un-bandaged hand and released it again in his sleep.

"I know there is much to discuss, but I believe it would be best to let the boy get some rest. I'm sure you will all understand…" the doctor bowed his head apologetically, trying to politely ask the audience to clear out. As far as he was concerned, the Fabre sons did not need this kind of attention, anyway.

Everyone left the room, and even the guards were told to retake their positions in the entrance hall. Maids went back to work, and the Duchess went back to the drawing room to continue her knitting. The Duke was still off at a conference, and Guy was assigned the duty of writing a letter to inform him of what happened. Asch walked back to the front of the manor with Natalia, but she wasn't saying anything- it was eerily quiet everywhere he looked.

"You don't believe me, do you?" he ran ahead of her, and stood in her path to confront her. Natalia turned her head and brushed past him rudely, without saying a word.

"We're going to be married someday, so you have to trust me Natalia!"

She walked faster, and as soon as she was out the front gate Asch saw her wiping away tears while she ran back to the castle. He sighed heavily, and cursed the replica under his breath as he trudged back inside. Later he went to visit Guy, but the servant was still writing that letter and had a lot of other work to do. Asch went up to his mother and tried to talk to her, but she became tired and went off to bed. In the end, he went to his room and sat on the top bunk- he fell asleep until a maid woke him up for dinner. Time passed extremely slowly after that, and eventually his hatred of the replica turned to something else.

…

"Luke… Luke, you still in here?" It felt weird calling someone else by that name, but he knew that in the end he was going to have to get used to it. Asch peeked in through a window, and saw that the room was even darker than the courtyard. Had they moved him to another bedroom? He decided to check in there anyway, and went around to the door. Creaking slightly, it opened wide and shed some light from the hallway, just bright enough for Asch to see his red-haired replica laying out on the bed. "So you are here, then. Did they forget about you?"

There was no response, but he had tapped into the kid's mind just moments ago and knew he was awake.

"C'mon, I know you're not sleeping." He tried to keep the anger out of his voice, but it still repulsed him to see a big baby like that sharing his face, and his family.

"B-brother… h-haha… Luke is sorry." The sheets rustled as he turned to lay flat on his back.

Asch closed the door quietly after himself and climbed up onto the massive bed, crawling over the wrinkled covers towards his brother's voice.

"What for, stupid? You didn't do anything yet."

"Luke didn't want to win Monopoly, but…"

"Monopoly? What the… Monopoly…?" Asch wrinkled his face, trying to be patient and make sense out of his replica's baby talk. It wasn't easy. "Oh wait, you mean earlier today?"

"Uh huh… yeah. Luke is sorry."

"You dreck, that doesn't even matter to me. And you should never apologize for winning something, where is your pride? You have to man up! Or else I will never be able to accept you as a sibling, or as anything else."

"Oh… Luke is sorry." Even in the dark Asch knew that the kid was scared of him. If it wasn't the quivering eyes, it was the trembling body that gave him away. He wasn't even touching the guy and he felt the bed shaking. It was pathetic, and hard to believe… Asch knew that if they had swapped positions he wouldn't be cowering like that. He had always been strong. Right?

"A-Asch, why… why you come here?" Luke's eyes reflected some of the light from the window as he looked over at his brother suddenly, and smiled.

"Well, I- stop smiling like that! It's annoying…" He turned away from the kid and closed his eyes, sighing heavily. It was so hard not to be pissed at that mindless replica.

Luke rolled onto his side and tried to prop himself up with his bandaged arm, but recoiled instantly- it hurt. The bed bounced slightly as he stared off toward his brother's back. He wasn't used to the kind of hurt that stayed, and he wasn't sure what to make of it- he tried again, and this time it really hurt.

"Owww…"

"Stupid, don't use that arm if it hurts." Asch growled at him, and he stopped trying to move.

"Look, Luke… I'm only going to say this once so you better be paying attention. I'm sorry about today, alright? I know you don't even understand what I'm saying, but I'm sorry you had to break your arm that way. I should have told you not to climb the tree with me, but I thought you could do it…"

"Luke is happy, Luke climbed a tree!" He stared up at the ceiling, smiling widely to himself.

"Shut up. I'm trying to…"

"Issokay. Luke knows, and Luke is so happy!"

"Oh yeah? What do you know?" Asch sneered, and turned over to face the replica one more time.

"Luke knows we are brothers!" A thin little arm reached out toward him, and instead of swatting it away Asch allowed the dreck to hold his hand. He looked at the kid's genuine smile, and how he was bubbling with happiness… it was sickening to see his own face look like that, but Asch forced himself to swallow it for a moment since he was being forgiven. Even if everyone else hated him, somehow this failed copy was satisfied, at least.

"…yeah. Whatever." He blushed at the pure awkwardness of the moment, and tried to look away. He heard Luke giggling and it just about pushed him over the limit. He tried to breathe deeply and steel himself against getting angry again.

"Okay, one more thing. Let go of me first." Asch wrenched his hand away and sat up, wanting this to be over as quickly as possible… Luke looked at him curiously, and he almost felt like laughing. This was just stupid. Reaching deep into his trouser pocket, his fingers closed around the object at last.

"Okay, I have a present for you today, dreck. Close your eyes."

Luke did as he was told.

"Hold out your hand now, like this." Asch shaped the kid's hand, and made a little cup with his fingers. "Okay… yeah. Okay. Now, don't open your eyes."

"O-okay…" Luke looked somewhat apprehensive, and Asch felt a pang of pity. Then the butterflies were gone, and he wondered where that reaction had come from in the first place.

"There you go." He had to look away; he didn't want to deal with the replica's retarded face.

Luke opened his eyes slowly and looked at the small wrapped item in his hand. Leaning on his back, he unwound the white cloth with his good hand, cautiously tugging at the corners until it came undone. In the center of the fabric, a flat round object settled on top of his stomach and he picked it up carefully, bringing it close to his face and squinting in the dark to get a better look. "This… this is a cookie?" Luke was incredulous, his eyes became round like plates. He turned it around in his hand, admiring the small miracle in front of him.

"Yeah. You wanted one this morning, so… well, this was the last one."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Sorry it kind of melted, it was in my pocket all day and I kind of forgot it was there, so…" Asch scratched the back of his head, staring off through the window at a planter across the way.

"Issokay. I love cookie! Thanks you, Asch."

"Y- whoa. You just said 'I'…"

"Luke did?"

Asch sighed. It wasn't like he cared whether the replica learned how to talk. They sat there in silence for a minute or so, listening to each other breathe.

"Well, go ahead. Aren't you going to eat it?"

"Ah, but… Luke is…" he paused, thinking- "Luke wants…"

"Just say it, dreck. Stop complaining and just tell me."

"Luke wants to share… Asch too?" He lifted the cookie up with his good hand, holding it over his head and glancing over at his brother to see what he would say.

"No. Just eat it. I had plenty of them with Natalia, when we were having tea."

"Oh…" Luke's arm sank back to resting on his stomach, and he tried to not think about being sad. But all he wanted was to share something with his brother… he felt tears coming and was suddenly scared of that more than anything. He didn't want to ruin this time… surely Asch would hate him again if he cried…

"Ugh, what is it now, dreck? Just eat it already. I want to go sleep."

Luke sniffled, and put down the cookie to rub his eyes. He turned away from his brother and the cookie slid off his stomach onto the bed covers.

"Oh come on. I give you a cookie, and you cry? What in Lorelei's name is your problem?" Asch leaned over towards the kid and grabbed his shoulder roughly, but Luke refused to roll onto his back. He wiped his eyes vigorously, and tried to hold everything in- this was not the time to give up. This was not the time to make Asch angry.

"Sorry Asch." He took a deep breath, and continued wiping his eyes. "I want to share."

"You what?"

"I want to share with brother! I want to…" Luke kept his eyes closed, and breathed deeply to stop his crying. He knew it would only bring him misery to cry… the hand on his shoulder loosened, and there was a pause.

"Well… okay. Don't get all worked up about it..."

"Really?"

"Yeah." Asch let go of the kid and flopped down on the bed next to him, staring up at the ceiling. The dreck had just spoken a proper sentence… it was a bit shocking to say the least.

Luke found the cookie again and rolled onto his back- to his surprise Asch had scooted closer, and now their shoulders were touching. He smiled as the tears went away, and he tried to break the cookie with one hand.

"Oh… here, give me that." Asch took the cookie and broke it perfectly into two. He handed one half to his red-haired replica, and took the other for himself. Then they stared up at the dark ceiling and ate the last cookie together, sharing one brief moment without hatred or fear... for that one moment they were just brothers, nothing more and nothing less.

.

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**A/N:** I love little kid Asch and Luke... maybe I'll write another fic like this sometime in the future.

Thanks for reading! =)


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